Literacy programs in Burundi, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the United States won the 2011 International Literacy Prizes of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The awards, worth $20,000 each, will be distributed in September at International Literacy Day celebrations in New Delhi, India, the agency announced on Thursday. UNESCO identified the winners as: # The National Literacy Service of Burundi won one of two King Sejong Literacy Prizes for its approach that links functional literacy to daily life issues and to topics related to peace and tolerance. # The National Institute for the Education of Adults of Mexico won the other award for its Bilingual Literacy for Life program, which has helped reduce illiteracy rates among indigenous populations, especially women, and for improving indigenous people's ability to exercise their rights. # The US-based Room to Read shared the Confucius Prize for Literacy for a program on promoting gender equality and literacy through local language publishing. Operating in nine countries – Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam and Zambia – the program has assisted communities in developing culturally relevant reading materials in local and minority languages. # Collectif Alpha Ujuvi in the DRC also won for its program called Peaceful Coexistence of Communities and Good Governance in North Kivu, which attempts to resolve tensions and conflicts among individuals and communities through developing literacy. The agency said honorable mentions were also awarded to: Allah Bakhsh Malik, Secretary, Government of the Punjab, Pakistan, for leadership in the implementation of the Adult Education and Vocational Skills program; and the City Literacy Coordinating Council, Tagum City, the Philippines, for its Peace Management Literacy and Continuing Education through its “Night Market” program, which uses peace education activities, literacy teaching and business entrepreneurship to generate jobs for marginalized populations. BM/UN
